


Hurricane Season

by atbash



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
Genre: Gen, because i have the power, ray is nonb and uses they/them pronouns, set during kyle's first spring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22111510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atbash/pseuds/atbash
Summary: Alternately titled, "Kyle gets hit by a tree"
Relationships: Douglas & Mana (Rune Factory), Kyle & Douglas, Kyle & Mana
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Hurricane Season

Douglas hated stormy days. Hated ‘em more than anything.

“I _know_ , Dad,” Mana huffed, not turning away from the shelves. With the windows shut tight, the general store was as dark and dank as any prison cell. Candlelight flickered on the walls. “You’ve told me as much at least twice today already.”

Douglas drummed his fingers on the counter, bored out of his mind. “Have I?”

“Yep.” Mana sighed and sat on the crate of onion seeds she was unpacking, equally bored. “You’re right, though. Not being able to go outside sucks.”

Douglas raised an eyebrow. “Watch your mouth, young lady.”

“What?” Mana pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. “Dad, come on. I’m not a little girl, I can say the word _suck_ -”

Douglas raised his other eyebrow. He gave Mana the sternest face he could muster.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, Dad. Not being able to go outside _stinks_. It’s _lame_. I think that this storm-”

The deafening _BOOM_ of thunder cut her off. Her eyes widened in confusion as another noise followed, a bone-shuddering _ccrrrraCK_ punctuated by a hollow _THUD_.

And then it was quiet, save the roaring winds.

Douglas was the first to speak. “Now, what the hell do ya reckon _that_ was.” Mana opened her mouth to speak, and Douglas held up a hand. “And before you start on me- I’m an adult. I’m allowed to swear.”

With a frustrated sigh and unmasked fear, Mana grabbed a handful of seed bags and shoved them on the shelf haphazardly. “Dad, that sounded like it was coming from Kyle’s farm.”

“Did it?” Douglas wasn’t feeling too brave himself after all that noise, but he hoped he was doing a better job at hiding it than his daughter.

“Yes, it did. I’m sure of it.” Her eyes trailed over towards the door. “Maybe we should…”

Dawning realization of what Mana was suggesting they do sat on Douglas’ chest like a rock. “Mana, absolutely not.”

“Dad, we can’t just stay here.” A tactical misstep. Douglas was prepared to argue that yes, they could just stay here, and in fact, that was exactly what was going to happen. “As Kyle’s friends, neighbors, and the legal owners of his farm, I think we have an obligation to check up on him.”

“Obligation schmobligation.” Doug folded his arms across his chest and tried to look authoritative. “There’s nothing we can do right now without putting ourselves in danger. Kyle is fine, Mana.”

* * *

Kyle was not fine.

Although, he reasoned, it could have been worse. As it was, he was dizzy. Also, he was very wet.

It took him a couple seconds to remember what had happened. He knew his face felt pretty damn gross right about now, which made sense, because he was lying in the mud. Why was he lying in the mud again?

Kyle tried to remember, but all he could think about was how hard the rain was coming down. Oh, and his strawberry plants. He was really worried about them. They had been doing so well, but this weather would wash them out entirely if he wasn’t careful.

Kyle turned his head and took note of the little puddle of soupy mud closest to his head, the one that was slowly mixing with the blood trickling from his forehead. Hm, Kyle thought. That doesn’t look too good. So he closed his eyes.

* * *

“Dad, what if he’s hurt? What if that was his house falling down?”

“Mana, it could have been the sky fallin’ down that we were hearin’ and I still wouldn’t let you out of this house in this weather.”

Mana’s eyes flashed with anger. Fear tended to turn into anger very quickly in Douglas’ case; a distant part of his brain felt a strange sort of pride seeing the same in his daughter. Slowly, she stood up and walked around the counter, towards the door. “I’m going to check on him.”

“Mana, like hell you are.”

Douglas stood, but Mana didn’t see him. She was already halfway out the door; she grimaced with her hand on the doorknob. She didn’t know how much further she could push this, or how angry her father would get… but Kyle needed help. She squared her shoulders. “Dad, if you think you’re going to stop me from going out there and-”

She froze as something heavy was plopped on her shoulders. Douglas stood behind her, wrapping the thick quilt around her shoulders. “An umbrella won’t do ya any good, what with all that wind, but you’ve gotta cover up somehow. Can’t have you getting sick.”

The gruffness in his voice made Mana turn around. “Dad?”

The trees blowing in the wind outside cast strange shadows on Douglas’ face. “You ain’t goin’ anywhere…” His voice trailed off and returned just a bit quieter. “...at least, not without me.”

Mana smiled, a smile of cool relief and sharp adrenaline and the slow swell of something warm and bright. It was a smile Douglas liked to see. “Let’s go, then.”

* * *

Common sense would dictate that, during a hurricane, one should not go outside. Most people would agree on this. Kyle would agree with most people, most of the time. In fact, he was agreeing with most people _right now_. He was experiencing first-hand exactly how it feels to be outside during a hurricane. He couldn’t say he liked it very much.

Right now, he was trying to decide if it hurt more to have his face tilted to the left side or the right. Mostly, he was just very pleased that he could still turn his head side to side. That was good, especially because he didn’t have the energy to move much else.

He wished opening his eyes didn’t hurt so much, because he would have liked to be able to see if the storm was close to passing over. Or how close he was to his house.

Though, Kyle supposed, even if it didn’t hurt to open his eyes, the combination of the rain, the blood, and the mud dripping down his forehead would have made it pretty hard for him to see, anyway. He hoped the bathhouse was open today.

* * *

Douglas and Mana slogged through the waterlogged streets. Down by the blacksmith’s shop, seawater spilled onto the cobblestone road with each rolling wave. Trees groaned against the roaring winds. Leaves fell almost horizontally with the raindrops. Mana took in a sharp breath as lightning flashed somewhere in the distance, thunder clapping almost immediately afterwards.

The road to Kyle’s farm was uphill. Douglas cursed under his breath, squinting into the rain as Mana hiked up her skirts and trudged her way forward, back hunched over.

Douglas took a step to follow her and slipped, his foot unable to find a solid hold on the slick ground. He muttered some stronger curse words and shook the rain that was dripping down into his eyes out of his hair. “For all the trouble we’re going to, that boy had better be dead.”

* * *

Kyle was dreaming, and he was dreaming about his favorite memory. It was also, coincidentally, his first memory.

Cherry Blossom Square was such a beautiful place - certainly not the worst place to wander into, half-dead and confused. Despite the sun, Kyle shivered where he stood, teeth chattering as he gazed upward at the bright sun peeking through the small pink flowers. If the sun was shining, why was he so cold?

Kyle remembered, in the way that one does in a dream, that he was wet. Oh, that explains that. Mystery solved.

He closed his eyes- that’s weird, they were already closed- and willed the sunlight to warm him, to dry him. He could almost feel it working when a voice called to him-

“Kyle?”

Kyle turned, the smile huge on his face. Never mind the fact that Mana shouldn’t have known his name in this memory, not yet. He was just glad she was here.

But when Kyle tried to look at her, he felt a sharp pain, a splitting headache right behind his eyes. Why was he looking upward at Mana’s face? Why did she looked so worried?

Mana took him under the arms and hoisted him into a sitting position that made him so dizzy that his stomach twisted, nauseous and in pain. They weren’t in Cherry Blossom Square, suddenly. Kyle felt distant regret.

Mana put something over his legs - a blanket?- and called to someone; Kyle couldn’t hear the name. He was too busy trying to puzzle out why that big tree was lying on its side right in the middle of his field.

Two more hands- bigger hands- yanked him to his feet so fast that Kyle could practically feel every inch of his body scream in pain. He would have screamed himself if he could. It hurt, and then it didn’t.

* * *

“Dad, I think he’s unconscious!”

“I’m pickin’ him up. You go on and tell Natalie to let us in.”

“I think-”

“ _Go_. We’ll catch up with ya.”

As Mana practically slid down the hill and back into the town’s flooded streets, Douglas glanced scornfully down at the unconscious boy in his arms, the wet quilt draped pitifully over his body. “Y’know, kid, when I said you’d better be dead, I didn’t _mean_ it.”

* * *

When Kyle came to, he sort of wished he hadn’t. Being conscious hurt like hell. What was up with that.

He tried to sit up, which was a terrible idea. Someone pressed a secure hand behind his back as he hissed in pain. “I’ve got you. Take it slow.”

His mouth felt like he had been eating dirt. “Ray?”

Ray gave him an awkward thumbs up. “Mom’ll be back in a second. How are you feeling?” They adjusted the pillows on Kyle’s bed and helped him into a seated position.

“I’ve been better. But I’ve been worse, too.” Kyle glanced at his arm, which was wrapped tightly in bandages. “I mean, I think? I can’t really remember, but, you know, it’s plausible?”

That drew a rare laugh from Ray, which made Kyle start to feel better. Man, Ray’s bedside manner was great, and they didn’t even have to try. Unlike-

“Kyle! Good to see you’re up.” Natalie walked in briskly, wiping her hands on her green and white coat. “You’ve been out for hours. Ray, could you get Kyle some water?”

“On it.”

Kyle’s eyebrows shot up, which hurt a lot more than it should have. “For- for hours? Natalie, what-” Outside the window, it was pitch-dark, and drizzling gently.

“You were knocked unconscious.” Natalie scribbled some things down on her clipboard. “Hit by a falling tree branch. Your arm isn’t broken, but it’s sprained, and you’ll need to rest it for a while.”

Ray set a glass of water gently down on the bedside table, within reach of Kyle’s good hand. “You sustained some cuts on various parts of your body, too. There’s a nasty one on your head, but we cleaned it out, so it should heal fine.”

Tree branch? He got hit by a tree. Memories of the typhoon came flooding back to him.

A freckled face peeked in the doorway. “Mum, Douglas fell asleep in the lobby, and it scared the ever-loving shit out of me when I came down for some food. Can I wake him up?”

Kyle waved. Alicia waved back.

The vein on Natalie’s forehead bulged slightly. “Alicia, please do not swear in this household. And no, you may not wake him up.”

Quietly, Ray interjected, “Are you sure, Mom? Weren’t you just saying the other night that you wanted to see someone dump a bucket of water on Douglas’ head?” Their eyes were twinkling. “Alicia, you’re up for that, right?”

Alicia grinned and tucked a lock of strawberry-pink hair behind her ear. Natalie tried to hide her own smile. “No, I was talking about Gordon. And, you know, you kids aren’t supposed to be listening to- ah, never mind. Alicia, go back upstairs or come in here with me. Your sibling can go kindly wake Douglas.”

Alicia flicked Ray’s neck on her way in, and they elbowed her in the ribs in retaliation.

Making herself comfortable on a stool, Alicia picked up an examination tool and began to fiddle with it. “But, Mom, aren’t you worried about me showing my nightwear to a _strange man_ like this?” She winked at Kyle, too overdramatically to be sincere, who rolled his eyes.

Ugh. Rolling his eyes gave him a headache. Bad idea.

Natalie’s forehead vein bulged larger as her cheeks began to blotch. “Young lady, that nightgown is more modest than that _costume_ you wear down to the docks every day, and I think-”

Alicia poked Kyle’s face with a syringe. “Nah, we know who Kyle has his eyes on. Or, at least, I do. And if he was ever so inclined, I could certainly see if those feelings were mutual-”

“For a price, of course.” Kyle swatted her arm away. “Nice try, Alicia.”

Natalie crossed her arms. “And you couldn’t have looked into that crystal ball of yours to predict this typhoon, hm?”

“Mom, I could have _redirected_ this typhoon.” Alicia held her hands up innocently. “But no one asked me to! I can’t be doing for free what I could be doing for a profit. I’m a businesswoman.”

Kyle chuckled and closed his eyes. He opened them up again when he heard something bump into the wall.

Blearily, Douglas stumbled through the doorway. He was rubbing at his stubble and stretching his shoulder.

Natalie watched him with a bit of satisfaction as he squinted in the lamplight. “I’m surprised you’re still here, Douglas. I thought you left hours ago. You sent Mana home?”

Douglas grunted, eyeing Kyle’s cast.

Kyle felt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck that was all too familiar. “Uh. Hey, Douglas.”

Douglas squatted down directly next to Kyle’s bed and said nothing. The prickling sensation grew.

“Um. You- no one told me how I got here, but I, uh. I can assume you brought me? So. Thank… you?”

When Douglas placed a hand on Kyle’s shoulders, he felt his soul leave his body. Slowly, Douglas found his words. “Boy, I’m too dang tired right now to give you the whooping you deserve. You can see that, right?”

Alicia _ooohed_ from next to Ray. Kyle swallowed and tried not to smile. “Yes, sir.”

“So alls I’m gonna say is-”

“Sir-”

“-what you did today was just about the most foolhardy-”

“Douglas, sir, I-”

“Boy, if you interrupt me one more time, I will snap that other arm like a twig.”

Ray choked on a laugh as Kyle’s face grew pale. Natalie put a hand on her hip. “Now, Douglas-”

“What I’m sayin’, Kyle.” Douglas rubbed his stubble again. “You almost got yourself killed today. An’ if my Mana hadn’t gotten it into her- well, son, you’d be dead.”

Kyle swallowed, again. Was that the second time Mana had saved his life? “Yes, sir.”

Douglas squeezed Kyle’s shoulder, stood up, and nodded. “I’m goin’.”

As he left, Natalie shook her head. “He always leaves like that. Never a goodbye. Just announces he’s leaving.”

With a deep exhale, Kyle pressed his head back into the pillows. “Wonder if Mana’s okay. Natalie, did Douglas send her back to the general store? Was she hurt?”

“You, Kyle,” Natalie lowered her glasses, “were the only one who hurt himself. Mana and Douglas put themselves in danger by rescuing you, but no, they were fine. The storm was slowing by the time they showed up at the clinic with you.”

Alicia nudged Kyle with a bare foot. “You’re worried about Mana? You just got your ass handed to you.”

“Nah, he wasn’t mad.” Kyle tilted his face up. “Worried, maybe, and mad that he was worried. But he wasn’t really mad. He was glad I was okay.”

Ray lifted an eyebrow. “How do you figure?”

Kyle bit his lip. “I’ve seen him really mad, and that wasn’t it.” Natalie snorted. “Plus…” With a wry sort of smile, Kyle closed his eyes. “He called me _son_.”

Alicia rolled her eyes and poked Kyle’s face again. “Awwww.” Ray smiled to themself. Natalie clucked her tongue.

Kyle stared out the window and watched the last of the storm.

* * *

By the time Douglas washed up and was ready for bed, Mana was already asleep.

Douglas hovered above her for a moment, silent. Wanting to hug her, tuck her in, just like he used to. Not knowing how to, anymore. Something small inside of him tightened.

A quiet voice spoke, “I told you so, Dad.”

With a soundless laugh, Douglas kissed his daughter goodnight and blew out the lamp.

**Author's Note:**

> Losers, all of them. Thank you for reading!


End file.
